Amnesty International Condemns ⁤National Guard ‌Deployment in Los Angeles

Updated June 10, 2025

amnesty International is raising alarms about the‌ Trump governance’s decision‌ to deploy National Guard troops ​to Los Angeles in response ​to protests against recent ⁢ICE raids. paul O’Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, ‍stated the move is deeply concerning.

O’Brien said the deployment suggests a⁣ willingness ​to use​ military force to suppress dissent and target those ‍defending⁤ human rights. He argued that armed troops are inappropriate in neighborhoods and that the militarization ‍of immigration enforcement undermines justice ‍and human‍ rights.

The protests ‌in Los Angeles​ arose after ICE agents, allegedly without warrants, conducted raids and arrested the​ California president of SEIU, according to Amnesty International.

Amnesty International contends‍ that deploying ‌the National Guard, without local authorities’ request, worsens existing​ human rights violations under the‍ Trump administration. These violations allegedly include unlawful arrests, mass⁢ detention​ and deportation, suppression of free expression, and family separations.

O’Brien referenced the violent clearing of Lafayette Park in June 2020 as a reminder ‍of the dangers of using military personnel, untrained in protest policing, on civilians. He emphasized that military‍ personnel lack training in crowd control and de-escalation.

amnesty International asserts ‍that the ICE raids ‌themselves are rooted in⁣ discrimination⁣ and racial profiling.The institution maintains that people have⁤ the ⁢right⁣ to protest‍ these injustices and that suppressing this right with military force is antithetical to human rights.

“This is ⁢not about protecting communities, ‌this is about crushing dissent and instilling fear.‌ Armed troops do not belong in⁤ our neighborhoods.”

Paul ⁢O’Brien, Amnesty International USA

What’s next

Amnesty International ‌is urging authorities to de-escalate the situation, end ​the National guard deployment, and respect the ⁤right to peaceful⁣ protest. The organization also calls for⁣ an end to mass deportations and the creation of a fair and humane immigration system.